Anarchy, State, and Utopia: Second Edition

Translated into 100 languages, winner of the National Book Award, and named one of the 100 Most Influential Books since World War II by the
Times Literary Supplement,
Anarchy, State, and Utopia remains one of the most theoretically trenchant and philosophically rich defenses of economic liberalism to date as well as a foundational text in classical libertarian thought. With a new introduction by the philosopher Thomas Nagel, this revised edition will introduce Nozick and his work to a new generation of listeners.

Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism

Random House presents the audiobook edition of
Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis. Why is there so much inequality? In this short book, world-famous economist Yanis Varoufakis sets out to answer his 11-year-old daughter Xenia's deceptively simple question. Using personal stories and famous myths, he explains what the economy is and why it has the power to shape our lives.

The Establishment: And How They Get Away With It

Behind our democracy lurks a powerful but unaccountable network of people who wield massive power and reap huge profits in the process. In exposing this shadowy and complex system that dominates our lives, Owen Jones sets out on a journey into the heart of our Establishment, from the lobbies of Westminster to the newsrooms, boardrooms, and trading rooms of Fleet Street and the City.

Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea

Governments today in both Europe and the United States have succeeded in casting government spending as reckless wastefulness that has made the economy worse. In contrast, they have advanced a policy of draconian budget cuts - austerity - to solve the financial crisis. We are told that we have all lived beyond our means and now need to tighten our belts. This view conveniently forgets where all that debt came from. Not from an orgy of government spending, but as the direct result of bailing out, recapitalizing, and adding liquidity to the broken banking system.

A Christmas Carol

"Every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding," says Ebenezer Scrooge. Mean old Scrooge despises Christmas until Christmas Eve, when a haunted voice from the past changes his life: overnight! Many know this story but few have experienced the true marvel of the tale.

The Origins of Totalitarianism

This classic, definitive account of totalitarianism traces the emergence of modern racism as an "ideological weapon for imperialism", beginning with the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe in the 19th century and continuing through the New Imperialism period from 1884 to World War I.

Socialism… Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation

Danny Katch brings together the two great Marxist traditions of Karl and Groucho to provide an entertaining and insightful introduction to what the socialist tradition has to say about democracy, economics, and the potential of human beings to be something more than bomb-dropping, planet-destroying, racist fools.

Fire and Fury

The first nine months of Donald Trump's term were stormy, outrageous - and absolutely mesmerising. Now, thanks to his deep access to the West Wing, best-selling author Michael Wolff tells the riveting story of how Trump launched a tenure as volatile and fiery as the man himself. In this explosive audiobook, Wolff provides a wealth of new details about the chaos in the Oval Office.

Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order

Why is the Atlantic slowly filling with crude petroleum, threatening a millions-of-years-old ecological balance? Why did traders at prominent banks take high-risk gambles with the money entrusted to them by hundreds of thousands of clients around the world, expanding and leveraging their investments to the point that failure led to a global financial crisis that left millions of people jobless and hundreds of cities economically devastated?

The Law of Peoples

This book consists of two parts: the essay "The Idea of Public Reason Revisited" and "The Law of Peoples", a major reworking of a much shorter article by the same name. Taken together, they are the culmination of more than 50 years of reflection on liberalism and on some of the most pressing problems of our times.

A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes

Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite, or does it have boundaries? These are just some of the questions considered in an internationally acclaimed masterpiece by one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos, from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the big bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory.

A History of Western Philosophy

Bertrand Russell's
A History of Western Philosophy serves as the perfect introduction to its subject; it remains unchallenged as the greatest account of the history of Western thought. Charting philosophy's course from the pre-Socratics up to the early twentieth century, Russell relates each philosopher and school to their respective historical and cultural contexts, providing erudite commentary throughout his invaluable survey.

Publisher's Summary

Is socialism desirable? Is it even possible? In this concise book, one of the world's leading political philosophers presents with clarity and wit a compelling moral case for socialism and argues that the obstacles in its way are exaggerated.

There are times, G. A. Cohen notes, when we all behave like socialists. On a camping trip, for example, campers wouldn't dream of charging each other to use a soccer ball or for fish that they happened to catch. Campers do not give merely to get, but relate to each other in a spirit of equality and community. Would such socialist norms be desirable across society as a whole? Why not? Whole societies may differ from camping trips, but it is still attractive when people treat each other with the equal regard that such trips exhibit.

But however desirable it may be, many claim that socialism is impossible. Cohen writes that the biggest obstacle to socialism isn't, as often argued, intractable human selfishness - it's rather the lack of obvious means to harness the human generosity that is there. Lacking those means, we rely on the market. But there are many ways of confining the sway of the market: there are desirable changes that can move us toward a socialist society in which, to quote Albert Einstein, humanity has "overcome and advanced beyond the predatory stage of human development." The book is published by Princeton University Press.

What the Critics Say

"[B]rilliantly captures the essence of the socialist ethical complaint against market society.
Why Not Socialism? is a very timely book." (Hillel Steiner, University of Manchester)

"The positive argument of his book is impressive, and there is a rather disarming combination of simplicity of presentation and example with a deep intellectual engagement with the issues. It is very clear that there is an analytically powerful mind at work here." (Jonathan Wolff, author of
Why Read Marx Today?)

It should have been longer or more in depth. It doesn't show Cohen at his best

Any additional comments?

This really is a short introduction and scratches the surface of Cohen's philosophy. The topic is too big and the book too short to really be meaningful. Cohen's best work is when he really analyses a small point very finely, and that does not show up in this book.

This is the most lucid account as to why we should edge towards socialism. It goes beyond the mistakes and genocidal 'socialism' of the Soviets, particularly Stalin. Read it and wonder Why not Socialism

I was a little disappointed at how narrow the scope of the argumentation were. Although I think he made many good points, I felt it was also filled with holes that I never found to be fully addressed. The biggest of these was equating small group interactions with grand scale economies.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Nick

18/05/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"alright"

narration wasnt the best but the information and arguments are good. worth the price atleast.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Cody Keyes

SWANVILLE, ME, US

23/09/15

Overall

"Smart-sounding category errors"

Lots of dense highbrow language tightly knit together in an attempt to apply a perfect system to a flawed world, and make apples-to-oranges comparisons.

Socialism is no camping trip; although it has produced camps.

1 of 3 people found this review helpful

Matt Connell

05/08/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Bad ideals... even worse delivery."

Narration was good.Proved large scale failure of socialism.Provided no new ideals of worth.Left open all the known holes of socialism and didn't come close to answering the title of the book. Just the ramblings of the author on his opinions of why socialism is the most "moral" choice for society. Acknowledging that it is infeasible while still promoting the effort and teaching the flawed ideals to our college students.Only buy this book if you want to reaffirm your ideas on the fallacies of socialism.

1 of 6 people found this review helpful

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